I like HBO’s hit show ‘True Detective’. I also like bits. The other day, my buddy Jordan posted a pic of Larry King as a reference to the Yellow King. Then I got to thinking about a lot of other people with the name ‘King’ and/or a nickname that involved ‘King’. And then I got to thinking of those King’s dressed in yellow. So this is the bit. It’s pretty lame. But here it is. These are my best guesses as to the identity of #TheYellowKing:
Michael Jackson – The King of Pop in YellowJohnny Carson – The King of Late Night in YellowDon King in YellowElvis Presley – The King of Rock & Roll in YellowBillie Jean King in YellowBB King in YellowRandy Savage – The Macho King in YellowKing James in YellowLarry King in YellowKerry King in YellowGeorge Clinton – The King of Funk in YellowHeisenberg – The Meth Kingpin in Yellow
And just because I am dedicated to my bit, here are some pics of Homer Simpson as various kings on ‘The Simpsons’ TV show. I mean, he’s yellow, so it kinda fits, right?
Homer’s dream where he imagined what he’d do with $40,000Homer Simpson – INTERNET KING!Homer Simpson as King HenryHomer Simpson as King SolomonHomer Simpson as the Mardi Gras King
Arch West, the inventor of Doritos, passed away on Sept. 20, 2011 in Dallas, TX at the age of 97. Arch West is the person responsible for you having to lick that orange paste off of your fingertips after you finish a bag of chips. If you really think about it, that is something we have all done. This man created something that created a common memory for us all. Just thinking about having to lick Dorito dust off of my fingers…well, it makes me smile.
I couldn’t find much online about Mr. West, except that he served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy during WWII, and before taking a position as a marketing VP with Frito-Lay in Dallas, TX, Mr. West worked in New York City on Madison Avenue.
…daughter Jana Hacker of Allen tells The Dallas Morning News the family plans on “tossing Doritos chips in before they put the dirt over the urn.”
Now that is awesome. I really think all funerals need to have something memorable and fun. Arch’s family is doing it right.
BTW I also learned a few things about Doritos today. It turns out that Doritos were the first tortilla chips to be marketed nationally in the United States. And the word ‘Dorito’ is close to ‘doradito’, which means ‘little golden’ in Spanish.
As you have already heard, a super massive earthquake hit earlier today about 60 miles off the coast of Japan. You can find news updates at the usual news sites, but here are some picture galleries from Japan. The pictures of the earthquake’s aftermath are stunning – extreme evidence that we are at the mercy of nature’s whims.
Pictures from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan today:
NationalPost.com: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
TheAtlantic.com: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
Boston.com: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
Cleveland.com: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
HuffingtonPost.com: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
DailyMail.co.uk: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
Telegraph.co.uk: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
BBC.co.uk: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link & link)
TheGlobeAndMail.com: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
Yahoo.com: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
ABCnews.Go.com: Japan earthquake & tsunami pictures (link)
Tsunami: Pictures from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan (March 2011)Whirlpool: Pictures from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan (March 2011)
How about that Super Bowl? Was it awesome or what? The Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh Steelers. Two of the NFL’s most storied franchises. And this year, the Super Bowl was hosted by Dallas, which just so happens to be the home of another NFL franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, aka America’s Team. And everything is bigger in Texas, right? Yep. Super Bowl 45 had everything necessary for a great week and an even better game. Hell, it even ended with the Packers winning in a close game. The Lombardi Trophy is going home. It doesn’t get any more fitting than that!
But, despite all those great factors, the week and the game were marred by odd happenings and events. In fact, there were so many things going wrong, it got me wondering about the ‘Football Gods’. Granted, the Football Gods are mythical (or ARE they?), and they probably didn’t play a role in any of the craziness this week. But something was going on. Call it fate. Call it karma. Or call it coincidence. Something was going on. Personally, I think the Football Gods were pissed about something. And the first person that came to mind was: Jerry Jones.
A lot of people in the Dallas Fort Worth area will joke about Jerry Jones selling his soul to the devil. Now, I don’t know if he’s some sports version of Robert Johnson, but it is something that is joked about around town and on various sports radio stations. Going along with this idea, I thought it would be interesting to point out some of the odd things that cast a shadow over Super Bowl 45. Are these things courtesy of the Football Gods? Are they really pissed at Jerry Jones? I don’t know. I’ll let you decide. But here are my top 5 signs that the Football Gods are pissed at Jerry Jones:
Can the Football Gods Create This Type of Winter Storm?
1. Snowpocalypse 2011 Ice Storm Shuts Down DFW Travel for 3 Straight Days The ice storm that hit North Texas on Monday night was the worst winter storm I have ever seen in this area. I spoke with people who have lived here for 30+ years, and not one of them had ever seen this much ice on the ground for 3-4 straight days. It crippled traffic. Temperatures were in the teens most of the week, and in some places, the wind chill was below zero at night. Many of the NFL activities and parties that were scheduled for the week were canceled. And local businesses, who were counting on record revenue for the week, were left with profits that were probably lower than regular weeks. The sun finally came out on Friday afternoon, and that’s when most people got to actually get out and go have some fun in DFW. All in all, not a total loss, but definitely a fail on a lot of levels.
Ice Falling Off the Roof at Dallas Cowboys Stadium? Really?
2. Ice Falls Off Dallas Cowboys Stadium Roof, Injuring Several People This one had the potential to be tragic. When the Great Thaw of 2011 began on Friday, everyone was superduper excited. Finally, we could get out and have some fun. But some people who were out and about at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington would ultimately find themselves in imminent danger. It turns out that there was a lot of ice on the roof of the stadium. And as it melted, it began to slide down the sloping roof, ultimately falling off the sides – falling 200 feet to the ground. And in one spot, several people were injured when the ice fell directly on them. Luckily – and I mean *luckily* – no one died from this horrible accident. But really, this was a terrible thing to have happen. And it’s super creepy, like something from one of those ‘Final Destination’ movies. [Video link]
3. Several Hundred Stadium Seats Deemed Unsafe, Ticket Holders Turned Away
This is crazy sounding, but let me try to explain. Dallas was selected to host Super Bowl 45 about 4 years ago. Also, the Cowboys haven’t had a home game in the stadium since about 50 days before the Super Bowl. So…Dallas had 4 years to plan for this thing and then 50 days to get the stadium ready. But somehow there were about 1,250 fans who showed up to the game and eventually told that their seats were unavailable. The seats were there, but they had just been set up. According to some reports, the Fire Marshall had not approved the temporary seats. The NFL said that about 400 of these fans were ultimately left without a seat or a place to watch the game. The NFL issued a statement that these 400 ticketholders would be reimbursed 3x the face value of the tickets. Bummer. I feel bad for these people. Packers fans and Steelers fans are known to be die hard, rabid fans. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be turned away at the gates. OMFG. Not LOL.
Somewhere, Wayne Brady was like, "Hey, Christina Aguilera. Don't forget the lyrics to the National Anthem."
4. Christina Aguilera Forgets Words to the National Anthem
This was utterly disappointing. Best summed up here:
Instead of “O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming,” Aguilera belted out, “What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last reaming.” That line was a repeat of one she had sung a few seconds earlier, with the word “gleaming” being replaced by “reaming.”
I actually felt really bad for her. She’s got an amazing voice. But now it’s another negative news headline during a time when Dallas really didn’t need any more of them.
5. Jerry Goes All Out to Set Super Bowl Attendance Record, Misses by 766 The official attendance for Super Bowl 45 is 103,219. Damn, that’s a lot of people! But it’s short of the all-time Super Bowl attendance record of 103,985 which was set at the Rose Bowl back in 1980. Everyone know that Jerry Jones really wanted this record. To miss it by such a small margin is almost laughable, especially considering the 1,250 people who were not able to get into the stadium. So close. Wow. BTW, Super Bowl 45 isn’t even the biggest game in Dallas Cowboys Stadium history. The attendance record was set back in 2009 during the stadium first ever regular season game. That official attendance was 105,121. How about that?
Rolling blackouts caused brief power outage at NFL headquarters hotel on Wednesday
Tony Romo and the Cowboys gun for the Super Bowl
And finally, let’s just take a look at Jerry’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. They went nearly a decade without winning a playoff game. And over the last few years, they have routinely been picked by sports writers to go to the Super Bowl. Yet, each year ends with massive disappointment and failed smile.
In the end, I’m not sure if any of this was brought on by the Football Gods. But you gotta admit, something was at play here. And it wasn’t just the Packers and Steelers.
Earlier today, I noticed a few Facebook status updates that read:
52 thoroughbred horses need homes. Will go to Sugarcreek this Saturday for slaughter. Gentleman died & his son wants nothing to do with them. Most broodmares are broke and some are in foal weanling, yearlings, 2 yrs/3 yrs old most are gelded. FREE & papered. Friend of the deceased is trying to find homes 440-463-4288 or 440-463-4288 Barnesville, OH.
Then I saw some posts about how all 52 horses had been rescued. Awesome, right? Well, then I saw a note that the whole thing was a hoax and/or a scam. I altered this blog post a few times, going back and forth on scam/no scam. But after several comments about the authenticity of this amazing story (and some awesome commenters who left a few links), I’m happy to report that this story is true. It’s legit. People are awesome, and social media is a powerful tool.
I was able to piece together a Facebook post/thread from Lynn Boggs. Lynn appears to be the original source of this entire event. It’s amazing that her original Facebook status update went viral. Well, this is the era of social networking, so maybe it was meant to go viral – almost like it had no choice! It all started on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011:
Original Facebook Status Thread by Lynn Boggs regarding the 52 horses in Barnesville, OH
So there you have it. Dr. Daniel Charles Stearns III (1921-2011) was obviously an amazing person who meant so much to so many (people and animals!). His recent passing left 52 horses in need of care. And the internet came to the rescue.
One of my favorite parts about this story is the role that Twitter and Facebook played. Here, the Humane Society says that all 52 horses have been rescued:
The Humane Society Announces the 52 horses have been rescued
@humanesociety: To those concerned about the 52 horses in OH, we have heard word that they have all found homes.
And here is a Facebook update from Jillian Michaels Facebook (link) that mentions the 52 horses:
Jillian Michaels says we should all get badges for helping
ok crisis averted! All the horses officially have homes. Nice work everyone. We should get some sort of girlscout / boyscout badge for this one no?
Yes, there were several other famous people, sites, blogs, and forums who also pitched in. I’m sure you can find them. I just wanted to brag about the power of social media and the good will of people. And I’m pretty sure this viral event will turn out better than the most recent charitable viral sensation, Ted Williams. Poor guy. Too much, too soon. Let’s hope these horses don’t drift back into a life of booze and drugs. And I digest…
Yep. 52 horses were saved from the glue factory today. I think that’s pretty damn awesome. Go social media!
BTW, thanks to commenters Marc, Melissa and Kelly for helping me out on this one. 🙂
And now, enjoy this picture of horses. They are awesome creatures.
As if our world needs any more disasters after the Haiti earthquake, it seems that there was a massive earthquake in Okinawa, Japan today. The epicenter is the Ryukyu Islands, about 50 miles off Naha, in Okinawa. Check out the USGS information.
February 26, 2010: Massive Earthquake Strikes Near Okinawa, Japan
TOKYO, Feb. 27 (AP) – (Kyodo)—A strong earthquake jolted Okinawa Prefecture early Saturday morning, the Japan weather agency said.The 5:33 a.m. quake registered lower 5 on the Japanese intensify scale of 7.
The Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warning off the main Okinawa island.
A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck off southern Japan early Saturday, and Okinawa’s seashore was evacuated after Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning.The Japanese agency predicted 3-foot waves following the quake, which hit just east of Okinawa and Ryukyu, south of Japan’s main islands. Tsunami waves also were expected on the islands of Amami and Tokaro.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, and the Tsunami Warning Center in Oahu said waves generated by the earthquake were not expected to be destructive.
Update:@BreakingNews First tsunami waves minor; warnings lifted for all but Okinawa; advisory in effect for several islands
To be clear, I am not a comic book guy. In high school, I read one issue of The Silver Surfer. That is pretty much the extent of my experience with comics. I was, however, a collector of baseball cards, so I do know the excitement involved in collectibles. I always hoped that my Ken Griffey, Jr. rookie card would help me pay for my first car. Or maybe my Jim Kelly autographed football would put me through college. But no. That is not how it works. Well apparently it does not work that way unless you have invested in some extremely rare, near-mint comic books.
In the past few days, there have been two astronomically-priced comic books up for sale. The first was Action Comics No. 1. It was first issued in June 1938, and it was the first appearance of Superman. Someone dished out $1,000,000 for this comic book, which was sold at ComicConnect.com. Don’t look now, but that is 10 million times the comic book’s original price in June 1938!
ComicConnect advertised this sale as a world record price for a comic book. This was the first comic book to ever sell for $1,000,000. Here is Action Comics No. 1 featuring the first appearance of Superman:
Action Comics No. 1: The first appearance of Superman in a comic book (June, 1938)
As it turns out, records are made to be broken. According to a Dallas Observer blog post, a copy of Detective Comics No. 27 sold yesterday for the price of $1,075,500. This comic book is famous because it featured the first appearance of the Batman. And like the Action Comics sale, this issue of Detective Comics sold for over 10 million times the original sales price of $0.10. And to make it even more astounding: the seller picked up this issue 40 years ago for $100. Now that is a hefty return on investment. Simply amazing.
Here is the Detective Comics No. 27 comic book that was sold for $1,075,500 yesterday at Heritage Auction Gallery in Dallas, TX:
Detective Comics No. 27: The first appearance of Batman in a comic book (May, 1939)
Now go forth and keep collecting. Look for deals. Who knows? Maybe in 40 years, you will have a piece that is worth $1 million dollars. Good luck!
Oh man. This one takes me back. When I was a kid, I had the amazing opportunity to take a vacation to Disney World with my family. I remember a lot about the trip, but one of the highlights was seeing Captain EO, starring Michael Jackson. It was the first 3-D movie I had ever seen, and I saw it at a time when Michael Jackson was probably the most popular person on the planet.
As I was sifting through the news today, I saw an article on the LA Times blog that said the Captain EO movie will be returning to Disneyland starting today (Feb-23). WTF?! Really?! Wow! According to the post:
At 10 a.m., the 17-minute, science fiction-themed musical returns to the Tomorrowland Theater for limited engagement.
This is awesome. Just the fact that there is a theater called ‘The Tomorrowland Theater’ makes me feel sentimental and nostalgic. And now they are bringing back the 17-minute movie from 1986. What’s next? Bringing back the original ‘The Transformers: The Movie‘ to theaters nationwide? Now that would be awesome!
For now, I have collected several pictures from the days of Captain EO. Enjoy!
Michael Jackson as Captain EOMichael Jackson as Captain EOMichael Jackson as Captain EOCaptain EO with FuzzballCaptain EO Movie PosterCaptain EO Comic BookFuzzball from the Captain EO movieMichael Jackson, Francis Ford Coppola & George Lucas (filming Captain EO)
"Yo Tiger, you have a great swing and Imma let you finish, but Elin had the best drive of the night! OF THE NIGHT!
By now, you have all heard that Tiger Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant and a tree last week. And his wife Elin apparently came out of the house to “rescue” him. Yeah, she rescued him by smashing in his rear windshield with a golf club and then pulled him out of the back window.
Me thinks not all is well in Woodsville. Where there is smoke, there is fire. Personally, I think Tiger needs to admit to his alleged affair with Rachel Uchitel. By lying about it, the story is being dragged out over a week’s time frame. Alex Rodriguez admitted to using steroids. The story died. David Letterman admitted to having sex with a coworker. The story died. Tiger should take a lesson from those guys. Their PR people obviously know how this game works. And now with the 911 call, a voicemail and text messages making the news, as well as another woman who is claiming to have had an affair with Tiger, the lie will have to end.
Elin & Tiger Woods pose for a recent picture
I’m still a Tiger Woods fan. Everybody makes mistakes. I can forgive. And I’m glad to see that people can joke about this news. Isn’t it good to be able to laugh a little bit?
Apparently the police asked Tiger’s wife how many times she hit him. She said “I don’t know exactly… but put me down for a 5.”
Tiger Woods is so rich that he owns lots of expensive cars. Now he has a hole-in-one.
What’s the difference between a car and a golf ball? Tiger can drive a ball 400 yards……..
What were Tiger Woods and his wife doing out at 2:30 in the morning? They went clubbing.
Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree. He couldn’t decide between a wood and an iron.
Phil Mickelson contacted Tiger’s wife to pick up some tips on how to beat Tiger!
What is the penalty for getting it in the wrong hole? Ask Tiger, he knows.
Elin’s excuse? She had to play a bad lie.
We now see that tiger woods drives very well on the fairway but doesn’t fare very well on the driveway.
What does Tiger have in common with a baby seal? They’ve both been clubbed by a Norwegian.
Whats the difference between a golf ball and a caddy? Tiger can drive a golf ball.
Tiger Woods wasn’t seriously injured in the crash, but he’s still below par.
What was Elin doing out at 2.30 in the morning? Clubbing.
Why did Tiger Woods crash into a fire hydrant and a tree. He couldn’t decide between a wood or an iron.
It’s been a tough year for tiger. 2nd time he has been beaten by a nine iron.
Nike wants to drop their endorsement, apparently Tigers balls go everywhere.
Apparently, Tiger had a 2:30 Tree Time.
Did you hear that Tiger is changing his nickname? Yeah, it’s still in the cat family: Cheetah.
All of this happened because Tiger picked up another birdie.
Tiger Woods is apparently giving up pro golf. According to him, “My putting is still good, but I keep driving into the trees.”
The Bitching wedge would have been another solution.
